HEKS/EPER is making a difference in the «Public services» in Brazil

There are extreme social and economic disparities in Brazil. Some 60% of the rural population live below the poverty line. Unfair land distribution is one of the reasons for this. Roughly 4.8 million Brazilian families are landless, while some 4 000 large landowners possess over 85 million hectares of land. Families who have lived for generations on their land, though most of them without land titles, are systematically expelled to make way for large soya, sugar cane and eucalyptus plantations and for extensive cattle farming. Brazil's biodiversity is under severe threat and social problems have become exacerbated. HEKS/EPER helps improve the food security and incomes of the rural population and supports the building of a strong civil society.

Facts

In 2017, 6400 people obtained access to 17000 hectares of land and 9500 people access to water. 10000 people boosted their crop yields and 8000 increased their income.

Education, healthcare, social welfare and infrastructure such as electricity, water, waste disposal or roadways are among the services that a State generally provides for its citizens – affordably and of sufficiently good quality. Regrettably, this is hardly the case in the countries where HEKS/EPER operates. Minorities, older people or people with disabilities as well as communities in remote areas face particular difficulty. HEKS/EPER supports disadvantaged people in accessing public services, and promotes dialogue between the population and the authorities.